You’ve heard of alchemy: the the medieval “chemistry” of transforming matter. It was concerned particularly with attempts to convert base metals into gold or to find a universal elixir.

Well, reverse alchemy, it would stand to reason, is the art of turning noble metals into base metals. Or transforming something special into waste. There is a belief out there that what we say to and how we treat our children in youth sports is a form of reverse alchemy – we are turning beautiful brains into mush with chronic verbal and physical abuse.

Don’t take my word for it. Listen in to this episode as Dr. Jen Fraser shares her own experiences of abuse, the groundbreaking work of Dr. Vincent Felitti with his Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, and how we need to stop the abuse in sports. What is most astounding is that in nearly 30 years of coaching and sport consultation I had never heard of the study. How are we not teaching this to our coaches and leaders in youth sports? Oh, right, we teach what they want to learn, not what they need to learn…

I am joining Dr. Jen a a few dozen other experts for a End Bullying and Abuse in Sports Summit February 5-9, 2018. You can find a link below to join us for free to learn more and help us lead the charge.

Speaker, author, and educator Dr. Jennifer Fraser, PhD, has developed a ground-breaking approach to bullying that she first articulated in her 2015 book Teaching Bullies. Her focus is on coaches and teachers as she asks the question: Is bullying is learned behavior? If so, who’s teaching it? While clear on the need for accountability, Fraser argues for a new way of handling abuse. This revolutionary model sidesteps the blame and shame and instead ushers in an approach that stresses rehabilitation and real change built on a strong foundation of positive psychology and neuro-scientific research. Fraser works tirelessly in the field of bullying, harassment and abuse to bring about meaningful change that creates safe, healthy and respectful organizational cultures.